The McGinnis Room is often referred to as the library’s “living room” since it is often used for both library and campus events, speakers and readings. It’s also a popular location for informal study groups. To reserve the room check with the library office.

The McGinnis Room was established by friends and colleagues of faculty member Patrick McGinnis (associate professor of English) after his death in August 1966 to serve as the location for a special collection of American and British poetry published after 1900. The consensus was that since McGinnis loved and taught poetry, a fitting collection of Little Magazines, donated by Richard Grant, a colleague and friend of Patrick and Barbara McGinnis, would be housed there.

Patrick McGinnis joined the faculty in 1961 in the second year of the college. He taught 17th Century English Literature until the summer he died, weeks after receiving his doctorate from the University of Minnesota. McGinnis had been diagnosed with leukemia two years earlier, but was able to keep teaching and living a normal life. Barbara McGinnis served as a reference librarian at Briggs Library for more than 25 years.

Student groups may inquire about reserving the McGinnis Room by contacting the aquisitions manager.

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The University of Minnesota, Morris is a public liberal arts University that provides a rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education, preparing its students to be global citizens who value and pursue intellectual growth, civic engagement, intercultural competence, and environmental stewardship.